(Volley) Ballin'
by CrimsonNight41
Summary: Naruto is the Varsity Volleyball team's star player. Sasuke is a newcomer to the team, graced with natural ability and a mysterious past. A fierce rivalry begins between the boys, each trying to outdo the other in everything. As the tension builds between them, so do their feelings…. SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1 - Newcomer

**A/N: **Helloooo! :D I'm so excited to finally be writing a Naruto fanfic! :O I've been kicking ideas around in my head for ages now, but this is the one I decided to go with first. :) It was a bit of a struggle trying to come up with an outline for this story, but I had my lovely sidekick, **GingerificFabulousTime**, to give me some awesome ideas and boost my creativity. ;) Thank you so much!

Now, just in case you didn't get the idea from the summary and genres and whatnot, this is, in fact, a yaoi story. All kinds of SasuNaru goodness be happenin' up in here! ;D Things will probably get a little bit...steamy...in chapters to come. Just consider yourself forewarned. ;) Now, please enjoy my first chapter and be sure to let me know what you think in a review! ^.^ Thanks!

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**Chapter One – Newcomer**

It was the week before school started. My senior year of high school, to be exact. The last year between me and the real world. If I could just get through this year without any incidents, I would be free to go wherever I wanted, do whatever I wanted. All I needed to do was steer clear of trouble and stay focused on my goal of graduating.

As luck would have it, I was already in the principal's office, and school hadn't even started.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" I asked in my usual monotonous voice. Anyone who knew me well, though, would be able to detect the faint trace of incredulity beneath the surface of my words.

The principal of Konoha High, Ms. Tsunade Senju, narrowed her eyes at me in annoyance. "Mr. Uchiha, I understand that you feel you've been cheated. However, we are only looking out for your own future. As I just told you, if you want to be able to graduate, you must have at least two gym credits. And, as you know, you currently have zero." Her harsh voice matched her glare as she looked at me from over her steepled hands. Despite her youthful appearance, the principal was an intimidating woman. Her distinctive golden eyes could harden to steel in an instant, flaying anyone who dared to cross her.

However, as I was skilled in the ways of intimidation, myself, her ire had no effect on me. Unfortunately, I could also recognize when there was no point in arguing. Now was one of those times. Narrowing my eyes in frustration, I nodded to show my understanding. "Alright," I groused, leaning back in my chair and glaring at the wall on my right side. "What are my options, then?"

Opening a drawer in her oaken desk, Tsunade pulled out a small stack of papers and passed it to me. "You can read through the list of classes and sports available. If you find one you're interested in, follow the instructions for signing up. I trust you can accomplish that much on your own."

I shot her a dirty look, but refused to comment on her patronizing tone. Rising to my feet, I folded the papers and tucked them into the back pocket of my fitted jeans. Without bothering to say goodbye, I turned and made my way from her office. As I opened the door to let myself out of the main office, I came face-to-face with another boy, almost smacking right into him.

"Watch where you're going," I growled.

A pair of crystalline blue eyes met mine, taking in my customary scowl with a slight smile. "I was," he responded, completely unfazed.

With a final glare, I stalked through the door and disappeared down the hall. _Everybody in this entire fucking school is nuts,_ I grumbled in my mind. _But I would give anything to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible, so I guess I have no choice but to get my fucking gym creds. _Sighing, I stuffed my hands in my front pockets and made my way through the empty hallways. Pushing through the front doors, I paused at the top of the steps and looked out over the deserted campus. The walkway leading up to the school seemed so big without kids hanging out and sitting on the wall that lined the path. Trees blew peacefully in the gentle breeze, casting claw-like shadows across the pavement. I couldn't believe that in a week from today, the whole place would be swarming with a bunch of hormonal teenagers.

Shaking my head, I continued down the walkway. I hadn't driven my car today because I wanted to enjoy the nice weather while I still could. That meant I had about twenty minutes to myself before I had to face the interrogation that no doubt awaited me at my house.

I could practically feel the papers burning a hole in my back pocket. I simultaneously wanted to tear it to shreds and leave it in my back pocket forever, pretending to have forgotten all about it. Unfortunately, I knew that ignoring it wouldn't make the problem go away. In fact, if I let it sit for too long, I knew my mom would make the decision for me.

I felt something touch my hair and brought my hand up to remove the offending object. It was a single leaf, still green and healthy. I looked up, holding the leaf in my hand. Sitting in the tree above me was a little bird, cocking its head as it eyed me with its beady black eyes. It seemed to be questioning me, asking what I was going to do. "I don't know, either," I muttered. Letting the leaf slip from my palm, I watched as it fluttered softly to the ground. Suddenly, I had an idea.

Looking around at the empty street I was standing on, I made sure no one was around before stepping off the sidewalk and onto the grass. The bird chirped twice overhead as I approached the tree. Once I reached the trunk, I jumped up and grabbed onto a branch, swinging my legs up over the branch and hoisting the rest of my body up after them. Crouched on the tree branch, I looked up for the next branch to climb. I kept climbing until I felt confident that no one would be able to see me from the ground. At last, I settled onto a branch, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. Extracting the packet from my pocket, I heaved a reluctant sigh. "Might as well get this over with now, while there's still some peace and quiet."

The paper crinkled as I unfolded it, gazing down at the list of sports and classes. The front page of the packet had them all listed out, and the subsequent pages went into more detail on each class/sport.

_Baseball  
Basketball (Men's and Women's)  
Bowling  
BUDS  
BUDS II  
Cheerleading  
Cross Country (Men's and Women's)  
Football  
General Fitness  
Golf  
Gymnastics  
Lacrosse (Men's and Women's)  
Soccer (Men's and Women's)  
Softball  
Strength and Conditioning  
Swimming  
Tennis (Men's and Women's)  
Track and Field  
Volleyball (Men's and Women's)_

As I read through the options, I grew increasingly irritated. None of the options available seemed appealing in the slightest. I knew I was considered to be pretty athletic, but I just couldn't see myself doing a running sport or kicking a ball around. And forget about weightlifting or football—I did _not_ want to turn into a meathead with a neck the size of an elephant's leg. Leaning my head back against the rough bark of the trunk, I stared up at the sky through the leaves and branches. _Sports just aren't for me,_ I thought irritably. Unbidden, a memory from my childhood suddenly came to my mind.

My father used to play volleyball with me every Sunday evening. My mother would watch from the kitchen window, preparing snacks for us for when we would come in afterwards, exhausted and hungry. I always used to tell my dad that I would be the state champion one day.

A sharp burst of pain chased away my memory as I hit my head against the tree trunk behind me. "Shit," I muttered to myself, wincing at how hard I'd hit my head. I hadn't meant to do it quite so hard, but I'd been desperate to distract myself from remembering. The pain in my skull was infinitely better than the pain that awaited me in my memories.

I didn't know exactly what made me flip to the page for volleyball. I just found myself staring down at the link that would take me to the team's online page. And below the link, a picture of the team from last year. Standing right in the center of the first row was a familiar-looking boy with spiky blond hair and piercing blue eyes. I couldn't quite remember where I'd seen him before, but I found myself tracing his triumphant smile with my eyes. His muscles were impressively advertised, courtesy of the sleeveless red-and-black jersey he was wearing.

And before I knew what I was doing, I'd decided to try out for the men's volleyball team.

When I walked through my front door, I was immediately confronted by a woman with graying blonde hair. "Sasuke? Sasuke, where have you been? You said the meeting with the principal would only take thirty minutes!" She fussed over me, clucking her tongue as she checked to see if I'd perhaps been injured.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I just wanted to take a walk on the way back. Don't worry."

She sighed, a concerned look in her brown eyes. "It's alright. I just wish you would let me know when you plan on being late. What did Ms. Senju want with you?"

"Nothing much." I slipped my shoes off and nudged them up against the wall with my foot. "She just told me that I need to do a sport this year in order to graduate. I've decided to join the volleyball team."

Shaking her head sympathetically, she put her hand on my shoulder. "I know you've been against doing sports since the incident, but I think this will be a good opportunity for you. You'll finally be able to hang out with other boys your age, and hopefully even become friends. I think it'll be good for you to have something to focus on besides stirring up trouble at school."

I knew, deep down, that there was truth in her words. And I knew that she was only trying to help me. However, it just wasn't what I wanted to hear. "Whatever. I'll be upstairs in my room."

As I pulled away and made my way towards the stairs, she called after me. "Sasuke, can't we talk? I know how hard this must be for you, but you have to face it sometime."

I paused at the top of the stairs. Turning to gaze down at the woman who had legal possession of me, standing at the bottom of the steps with a sad expression on her lined face, I found that I was still incapable of opening up. "You know what? Just butt out, okay? I'm fine. I don't need you trying to act like a psychologist."

The stricken look on her face almost made me regret my harsh words. But then I turned and entered my room, closing the door behind me so that I wouldn't have to look at her face. I was fine, after all. I'd managed to select a sport without much difficulty, not making a big deal out of it. I'd even chosen the sport of my childhood, just to prove that I'd moved on. She had no right to dredge up the past again.

Grinding my teeth in frustration—at the principal, at my adoptive mother, at myself—I strode over to my bed and collapsed onto it on my back. Staring up at the ceiling, I let out a long breath and closed my eyes. _This is either going to be the best year ever…or the absolute worst. With the way things are going…my money's on the latter._

* * *

_Naruto's POV _

"I hope I don't have her for English this year…."

"Please, with your luck, you're going to have her for sure!"

"You little shit…."

I tuned out the guys' meaningless chatter as I sat back on the bench and leaned against the lockers at my back. Using the end of the towel that was slung around my neck, I wiped the sweat from my jaw. The guys and I had met that morning for a friendly game of volleyball, just to get our bodies used to the sport again after a summer off. After all, despite the two seasons between us and Men's Varsity Volleyball, we would be training the whole while until then. And what with school starting in a few days, we needed to start getting serious.

I tuned into their conversation again when I heard the topic shift to volleyball. "…some new kid joining the team," Kiba was saying, raking a hand through his choppy brown hair. One of our two outside hitters, Kiba was known for his sarcastic attitude and foul mouth. The brunette was currently leaning against the lockers in nothing but his boxers, using his old gray T-shirt with the sleeves cut off to wipe his face. "Coach said he'd be giving him a tryout today."

"What time?" Shino, one of our two middle hitters, asked with all the interest of a rock.

"Eleven."

I glanced absentmindedly at my wristwatch, noticing that it was almost eleven now.

"Eh, he's probably nothing special," Shikamaru mused from his spot on the bench opposite me. Our setter was lying on his back with one arm beneath his head, the other tossing his water bottle lazily into the air and catching it again. "If he makes the team at all, he's probably going to be on the JV team."

"You're probably right." The other outside hitter, Neji, closed his locker with a clang. He had grabbed his bag from his locker and stuffed his towel and bottle inside already, slinging the strap over his shoulder as he turned toward the door. "But even so, I'll be curious to hear how he does. Let me know what the results are, okay, Shikamaru?"

"Ehh? Why me?" The black-haired boy complained. "What if I have better things to do than sit around watching some noob try out?"

"Shikamaru. You're fooling no one."

With a loud groan, Shikamaru sat up and planted his feet on the floor. "What a pain. Fine, I'll watch him."

"Good." Satisfied that the boy with a ponytail would do his job, Neji left the locker room. Before the door closed, I thought I heard Coach Kakashi's voice out in the gym. He hadn't been in there when we were playing earlier, which could only mean that he was here for the tryout.

With a sigh, I got to my feet and grabbed my bag. "Good job, guys. We're in for a good season if you keep up the good work."

"Hey, Naruto! Where are you going?" Kiba asked, leaping to his feet as he strode over to me and slung an arm around my shoulders. "Wanna go to the pool? We can get the guys together for a little relaxation time before school starts again."

I shrugged, clapping the other boy on the back. "Sure. I've got nothing else to do today."

"Wow guys, don't worry about me at all." We both looked over at the sound of Shikamaru's dry voice. "You guys can all go celebrate at the pool while I stay here watching this kid try out. Don't worry about me; it's not like I wanted company or anything."

With a grin, Kiba punched Shikamaru playfully in the arm. "I'm glad we have such a noble friend. Thanks, pal! We'll enjoy ourselves at the pool while you're here babysitting."

The other two boys in the room, our two middle hitters Shino and Lee, grabbed their own bags, too. "Good luck, Shikamaru," Shino said in his typical serious voice. "Be sure to tell us everything when you join us at the pool."

"Shikamaru, I believe in you!" Lee cheered, his large black eyes sparkling. "See you later!"

"It's settled then!" Kiba happily tugged on his athletic shorts, leaving his shirt slung over his shoulder. "Have fun, Shikamaru!"

"Fuck off, Kiba," Shikamaru muttered with an eye roll. "See if I tell you guys anything."

The brown-haired boy merely laughed and headed toward the door. "Consider this payback for when you abandoned me to clean the gym by my fucking self last year."

The black-haired boy glared at Kiba, his hands in his shorts pockets. "Whatever." Slouching to the door after Kiba, Shikamaru entered the gym and took a seat on one of the metal benches that lined the floor. Lee and I trailed after them, pausing to glance out across the floor at where Coach Kakashi stood with a mysterious boy on the other side of the gym. The boy was facing away from us, so I couldn't tell who he was, but I could've sworn there was something familiar about his spiky black hair.

He was currently facing off against Kakashi, who stood on the other side of the net in a crouch. I watched, transfixed, as the boy threw the ball up into the air and then jumped up to send the ball over the net in a perfect jump serve.

"Whoa," Kiba said, impressed in spite of himself. "That's quite the newcomer."

Kakashi hit the ball and sent it back towards the black-haired boy's court. Running forward at an amazing speed, the boy intercepted it just on his side of the net and spiked it down over the net. I held my breath as Kakashi dove for it, executing a dig. He got his hands beneath the ball just before it could touch the ground, and managed to send it up into the air again. However, it bounced off the very top of the net, rolling over the edge to fall limply onto his opponent's side. The boy reached out and caught it in one hand, tucking it against his side as he slipped under the net and offered his other hand to the coach.

Once Kakashi was on his feet again, the boy headed back to his side of the net. In the brief moment that he was facing us, his eyes rose and connected with mine. And just like that, I realized where I'd seen him before. He was the scowling boy who'd nearly run into me in the office a few days ago. For a moment, it appeared he didn't recognize me. We simply stared at each other, silently assessing. And then his glower returned as he remembered. Turning to face the net again, he pretended I wasn't there.

I felt a scowl pull at my own face as I turned toward the gymnasium door and stalked forward. _Great, now we have that asshole trying out for the team. And by the looks of it, he's guaranteed a spot on the varsity team. _

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Kiba came up beside me, peering into my face with confusion and concern. I could hear Lee and Shino following behind us, their curiosity apparent even in their silence.

"Nothing," I replied, shrugging casually as I forced myself to relax. "It's pretty hot in here; let's hurry over to the pool."

Just before we slipped out the door, I turned my head slightly to the side. The black-haired boy was watching me with an appraising look. Then he was jumping into the air again to execute a jump serve. I was through the door before his hand made contact with the ball, but I still heard the smack echo through the gym. A challenge, ringing in the air loud and clear.

_Alright. Challenge accepted._

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**A/N: **Sorry about the bit of angsty Sasuke going on there. D: I promise he won't always be like that. :) Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, despite it being a little slow! Thanks for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you think! :D


	2. Chapter 2 - Detention on the First Day

**A/N: **Hiiiii! I'm baaaack! :D And I have another chapter!

Thank you to all the lovely people who reviewed! That would be you, **FuckleNutzle, toolazytosignin, Guest, Guest, Mangareader2013, **and **GingerificFabulousTime**! :D You guys bring me joy. :'3 And let's not forget the awesome people who favorited and/or followed-**1KeyFun, 1naruto5, 0Eveely, nala87, airi1285, Taylor310, SoYoSeob, theking666, xCandyEaterx, **and **hayleyhoo**! :D Yayyy!

Anyways, I hope you guys all like this chapter! We get a little more interaction between our favorite lovebirds in this one. ;) Please leave a review for meh! It's candy for the soul. :3

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**Chapter Two – Detention on the First Day of School?**

_Sasuke's POV _

_I can't believe I didn't recognize that asshole, _I thought angrily to myself as I slammed my bedroom door shut with more force than I'd meant to use. Storming over to my desk and the packet that was lying open to the volleyball team's page, I snatched up the packet and peered at the team picture with a scowl. Sure enough, I now recognized the smiling blond in the center as the one who had almost run into me in the office. _I don't need that arrogant prick making my life miserable. Why the hell did I even decide to do volleyball? _For a moment, I wondered if it was too late to choose a different sport. Exhaling in frustration, I collapsed onto my bed on my back and covered my eyes with my laced-together hands.

"Too late for that," I muttered under my breath. "The coach already told me that I was accepted onto the team." With a vicious sigh, I rubbed my eyes and rolled over onto my side so that I was facing the wall my bed was pushed against. "Not to mention the two credits he promised me if I agreed to do this club volleyball thing before the official season starts in the spring." Which, hopefully, the blond boy would not be participating in. I glowered at the wall and tried to keep his image from my mind. Despite my best efforts, memories of his face from that morning kept flashing in front of my eyes. I recalled the way his eyes had widened when he'd recognized me, immediately followed by a look of disgust.

_He thinks he's so good, doesn't he? Well, we'll see who's better soon enough. _

Determined to forget about him for the rest of the day—and the week, if it was possible—I rolled out of bed and sat at my desk with my laptop. Netflix would solve my problems for the time being.

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_Naruto's POV _

At last, it had arrived. The first day of my senior year. I double-checked to make sure I had everything that I would need for practice in my bag, excited to show Coach Kakashi how much I had improved over the summer. I'd already been voted Captain at the end of last year, so I had to maintain my status. Satisfied with the state of my practice bag, I headed down the hall to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

"Oh, up so soon, Naruto?"

I turned to the other door in the hallway, giving the man who stood in the doorway a scathing look. "It's 7:20, Perv, and school starts at 7:45."

The man winced and ran a hand through his long white hair. "I wish you wouldn't call me that, Naruto," he pleaded with a bit of an edge to his voice.

"And I wish you'd stop acting like one."

"How do I act like a pervert?" the man protested, spreading his arms as if to show that he was innocent.

A vein popped out on my forehead as I fought to keep from yelling. "For starters, you scar my virgin mind by coming out of your room without any clothes on, old man."

Surprise flitted across his face as he glanced down at his naked body. "Shit!" he cried, dashing back into his room.

I shook my head exasperatedly, already used to my godfather's peculiar habits. Realizing that it was already 7:30, I cursed under my breath and grabbed a slice of bread as I ran from the kitchen with my bag over my shoulder. "See ya later!" I shouted around the bread in my mouth. I heard Jiraiya's grunt of acknowledgment right before I shut the door on my way out.

Fishing my car keys from my pocket, I crossed the driveway to my 1983 Civic. The bright orange paint was peeling around the tire rims, revealing the hatchback's original gray color beneath. Hastily inserting the key into the lock and opening the driver's side door, I tossed my volleyball bag into the passenger seat alongside my school bag, which had been there since the night before. Without even bothering to pull the fraying seatbelt across my body, I rammed the key into the ignition and tried to start my car. It sputtered and wheezed, but the engine didn't catch.

"Dammit, not today!" I muttered in a near panic. I turned the key three more times before the car finally came to life with a groan. Pushing the gas pedal as hard as I dared, I backed out of the single-car driveway and sped down the street, coaxing my car as fast as it would go through the neighborhood. The nauseating scent of gasoline permeated the car as I floored it all the way to the school, barely managing to stay in my seat.

When I finally pulled into the lot, I saw that there were no more spaces left in the senior lot. Cursing my bad luck, I wove through the aisles a few times, praying that a space would miraculously open up before me. No such luck. When I circled past my usual parking spot, I saw that a shiny black Cadillac CTS was occupying the space.

_What the fuck is this asshole doing? _I grit my teeth in irritation, wishing I could just _happen _to lose control of my steering for a second and put a ding in that expensive car. _It would serve them right, whoever owns that Cadillac. Taking my spot like that…._ I knew I was being childish—after all, it was my own fault that I was late—and so, with a massive sigh, I pulled over to the back of the lot and parked against the curb, hoping that no one would report it. Jumping from my car, I grabbed both of my bags and slung them over my shoulders. At least my school bag was a backpack and my volleyball bag was a duffel, so I didn't have that awkward double-backpack thing going on.

Trudging across the lot toward the school, I glared fiercely as I passed the Cadillac and stuffed my hands into my coat pockets. My feet came to a halt as a brilliant—and yet extremely stupid—idea came to me. Smiling slyly, I glanced around to make sure no one else was around. Of course no one was, since the bell had already rung. Ducking behind the Cadillac, I extracted the thing I'd felt in my pocket. The half-melted chocolate bar was exactly what I needed.

Peeling the wrapper back, I mushed the chocolate up in my hand and pressed it to the windshield right in front of the driver's seat. A gleeful smile tugged on my face as I thoroughly rubbed the melting chocolate across the glass, leaving sticky brown smears all over. "Take…that…you shitty…rich kid! That'll teach you to take my spot again!" Feeling supremely pleased with myself, I pulled back and crumpled up the chocolaty wrapper before chucking it at the window and watching it bounce onto the blacktop. Almost immediately, I felt a twinge of regret. _I'd wanted to eat that candy bar…._

Shaking my head and licking my hands clean, I stepped away from the choco-fied Cadillac and resumed my stroll towards the school.

By the time I'd visited my locker and stuffed my volleyball bag in, I was ten minutes late. Muttering to myself under my breath, I made my way to the attendance office and signed myself in. I shot a guilty grin at the lady behind the desk as she wrote me a pass with a mix between amusement and annoyance, hoping this wouldn't become a pattern. It was hard enough to pass my classes as it was, without the added worry of failing due to tardiness.

Thankfully, I'd reviewed my schedule so many times the night before that it had been burned into my mind, because I realized as I left the office that I'd left my schedule at home on my desk. Snorting at my own idiocy, I approached the classroom where my first class of the day, AP English, was held.

Drawing a deep breath for reassurance, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the doorknob. As I tugged the door open, I heard the teacher's voice trailing off. Easing into the room, I glanced at the teacher and was disheartened to see a man I didn't know. I hadn't recognized the name on my schedule, but I'd been hoping that it would be one of the friendly teachers I'd passed in the hall last year every day. No such luck. And by the looks of it, this man was anything but friendly.

"And you are…?" he snipped in a gravelly voice, peering imperiously down at me through his one eye that was visible. His right eye was concealed by a swath of bandages wrapped around his head, leaving his short brown hair to flop over his bandaged forehead.

"Oh, sorry," I started, rubbing the back of my head with a nervous grin. It was a habit that had often gotten me in trouble, since people usually misinterpreted it as a sign of disregard and disrespect. Getting ahold of myself, I put my arm down and straightened my face. "I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"And why are you late to my class, Mr. Uzumaki?" the teacher pressed, clearly pissed. The silence in the room was deafening as he waited for me to answer, and I resisted the urge to return the stares I felt boring into me.

Licking my lips, I waved my pass at him in an attempt to draw his attention from me to the slip of paper with a signature on it. "I, uh, had car trouble."

"On the first day of school? My, you are unlucky." He tsked at me with a condescending gleam in his eye. I ground my teeth together as I waited for him to take the pass. After a moment of awkward silence, he waved his hand at me dismissively and turned away. "You can throw that in the recycling bin, Mr. Uzumaki. You'll be marked tardy regardless of that pass."

Silently fuming, I stormed to the recycling bin in the corner of the room by the door, crumpling up the paper as I went. _Of all the prickly, cold-hearted asses to be teaching… _I thought angrily.

"You may take your seat, Mr. Uzumaki."

Shooting the prick a venomous glare, I turned and began walking towards the rows of desks in front of me. My gaze roved over the desks until I found an empty one in the back row. The only empty one in the room, actually. As I quickly scanned the surrounding students to see if I knew any of them, I was relieved to see Kiba sitting in the desk in front of mine. He grinned at me with a look that said _sucks to be you _and rolled his eyes in the direction of the teacher. Thankfully the old prick couldn't see him from his angle, and since my back was turned to him, I took the opportunity to make a face at Kiba. My gaze then continued to rove over the desks near mine. A blonde girl I recognized from the girls' volleyball team was in the desk to the left of mine, and to the right of mine…

"You!" I shouted, stopping dead in my tracks as I pointed an accusatory finger at the black-haired boy sitting at the desk. His head snapped up and he locked eyes with mine, a look of horror on his pale face.

"You!" he echoed, choking over the word.

_Shit, fuck fuck fuck FUCK!_

* * *

_Sasuke's POV _

_Worst. Day. Ever. _

I sat fuming at the back of the classroom, slouched down in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest. _Of all the people who had to show up…._ My knuckles were white from clenching my fists so hard. In contrast, my face was perfectly schooled into a blank mask of detachment. But I couldn't hide the fire that was slowly burning in my eyes as I glanced out of the corner of my eyes at the blond who was sitting at the desk next to mine.

He didn't look much happier. In fact, the boy was leaning on his fists, his elbows propped up on his desk, with a glower on his face so dark that I was surprised there wasn't a black cloud hovering over him. Mr. Shimura was ignoring the both of us, going on with his lesson as if we weren't even there.

Right after Naruto had stopped and made a scene after seeing me, Mr. Shimura had thrown the chalkboard eraser at the back of his head. There was still white dust on the back of…Naruto's…blond hair. Mr. Shimura had then threatened us both with detention if he didn't sit down and shut up. Obviously, Naruto had sat down and shut up. However, that didn't change the fact that the blond was glaring daggers, swords and bullets through the back of Mr. Shimura's head whenever he turned to write on the chalkboard.

_Naruto Uzumaki, huh? Weird name. _I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. I'd been in the middle of a nice nap when I'd been rudely awoken by the blond's loud entrance. And then I'd been only half-paying attention to what was going on, until he'd stopped and shouted at me. _What an ass. _

I looked over to the side again as the boy in front of Naruto turned slightly when Mr. Shimura's back was turned and dropped a piece of paper onto the desk. Naruto looked up at the brunette, blinking as if he'd been in a trance. With a small frown, he looked down at the paper on his desk and picked it up. I couldn't see what it said, but judging by the gloating smirk that crossed the blond's face, it wasn't anything I would probably appreciate. His barely-repressed snicker confirmed as much as he stole a glance in my direction. Upon seeing me glaring icily at him, he sobered up and coughed to cover the snicker as he turned away again.

"Mr. Uzumaki. Is there something you wish to share with the class?" Mr. Shimura had turned back around and was looking directly at Naruto, an unamused expression on his scarred face. He gestured at the note that was still clutched in Naruto's hand and made a clucking sound in his throat.

"Er, no."

"No, _sir._ And I'd say that you most definitely have something to share with us. Go on, now. Enlighten us as to what could possibly be so much more important than our discussion of your _grades._" The disdain in his voice had all the students shrinking into their chairs, not meeting the irate teacher's shrewd gaze.

As Naruto shifted uncomfortably and glanced at his friend for help, I felt a tug of satisfaction in my gut. The idiot would finally get what he had coming to him, and the whole class would be able to laugh at him for it.

After a moment, the blond sat up straighter in his chair and leveled an exasperated glance at the teacher. I frowned at the sudden change in his demeanor, wondering what was going on. "Whatever, Mr. Shimura. If you _really _want to know what's on this paper that badly…."

"Just read it," the man snapped.

Naruto cleared his throat and paused dramatically before beginning. "Hey dickface, remember that time in freshman year, in the locker room? I'm thinking we give the asshole a little welcome party, to commemorate the good old times. Whaddaya think?"

Everyone was silent for a moment as they wondered how to react. It was clear that Mr. Shimura had no idea what any of that meant, but he still wasn't about to let Naruto off the hook. "Well, interesting nicknames aside, I'd say that you've disrupted our class enough for one day. You will meet me in here after school today for detention."

"What!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "You were the one who disrupted your own shitty class by asking me to read this note!"

"Enough!" Mr. Shimura was quivering with rage, his single eye glittering with resentment. "Enough. You will be here no later than five minutes after the end of school, or you will get an F for the quarter."

"You can't do that!" Naruto spluttered, leaning forward on his desk as he glared at the teacher furiously. "And I have practice after school today!"

"Well, your extracurricular activities are no concern of mine, so you'll have to work that out with your coach."

Silently fuming, Naruto fell back into his seat. I couldn't resist the smirk that tugged at my lips as I glanced over at the boy. He caught the look and ripped the note off his desk, crumpled it up in his hands and threw it at me with as much force as he could. I barely managed to dodge it, but as I felt a sharp stinging on my cheek I realized I hadn't been able to avoid it completely. A long papercut had opened up along my cheekbone, and as I put my fingers to it, I saw blood smeared across my fingertips.

"You bastard," I hissed, getting to my feet and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. He glared up at me defiantly, a challenge written plainly on his face.

"Both of you! Out in the hall, now! Mr. Uchiha, you will be joining Mr. Uzumaki in detention after school today."

Before either of us could move, the bell rang to signify the end of class. After a moment, I released Naruto and let him fall back into his seat. Straightening with a dark scowl, I grabbed my notebook and swept it into my bag as I turned my back on the other boy and made my way towards the door.

"Don't be late," Mr. Shimura called gruffly just before I exited the room.

Storming through the halls with a dangerous aura, I clenched my fist around my bag's shoulder strap. _Great. Fucking great. My first day of school and I'm already in trouble, thanks to that _shithead. _Not to mention the fact that I'll be late for my first day of practice because I'll be spending time in detention with that moron. _

Yeah. Things were definitely not going the way I'd hoped they would. And they likely wouldn't for the rest of the year, thanks to one Naruto Uzumaki.

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**A/N: **Well, lookit dat. :3 They're off to a great start, aren't they? Poor Naruto, the bloke just can't catch a break. *shakes head sadly* Thanks for reading! Don't forget to favorite, follow and review! :D I will love you forever if you do all three. O_O


	3. Chapter 3 - First Day of Practice

**A/N: **Hello again! :D I'm back with another chapter! Thank you to **naname396 **and **Naruto7771 **for reviewing on the last chapter! ^.^ And for favoriting and/or following, thank you to **blackmidnightivory, Jessie76, superflaj, GeneralUnicornDuckPudding, Heartless Chocobo, powder07blossom, **and **IDonTBelieveAnymore**! :D

Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ^.^ Please leave a review after you've read it! :D

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**Chapter Three – First Day of Practice**

_Naruto's POV _

The rest of the day seemed to pass by deliberately slowly. By the end of my last class, I was in a mood so foul even my friends were giving me more space than usual. I just wanted to get detention over with so I could salvage what remained of volleyball practice.

"Hey, I'll see you after…well, I'll see you later at practice, okay Naruto?" Kiba clapped me on the shoulder with a sympathetic grin.

I glared half-heartedly at him and hoisted my bag onto my shoulder. "Yeah, okay. Just…tell Kakashi that I'll be a little late because…I'm meeting with one of my teachers, okay?"

"Sure thing!"

Shikamaru came up with his practice bag slung over his shoulder and leaned his elbow on Kiba's shoulder as he fixed me with an amused little smirk. His friend Chouji was with him, snacking on chips while he looked on with little interest. "Have fun in detention with the new recruit, Naruto."

I glared more fiercely at the black-haired teen, taking a step forward with my fist raised to grab his shirt. Shikamaru laughed and walked away with his hands in his pockets before I could do anything, though. Shooting me a guilty look, Kiba followed after the other two boys, leaving me alone by my locker. _Damn that Kiba. Remind me to kick his ass later for telling Shikamaru about what happened in first period. _In the one class I shared with both Shikamaru and Kiba—AP History—Kiba had taken advantage of my single restroom trip to give Shikamaru the story. By the end of the day, it seemed the whole team knew of my rivalry with this Uchiha kid.

_A rivalry, huh? _I recalled his skills on the court during his trial with Coach Kakashi. _He's good, _I grudgingly admitted as I trudged through the halls toward my English class. _And what with his arrogant attitude, he's probably going to challenge me for title of best on the team. _Feeling fired up again, I stormed into the classroom and then came to a sudden halt.

The Uchiha was already in there, standing across the room from me with a cold glare in place. Between us stood two desks—the only two desks in the room. They were facing each other, pressed right up against each other.

_Oh, hell no. _

"Mr. Uzumaki, Mr. Uchiha. Thank you for coming." Mr. Shimura sidled into the room with his keys in hand, not even looking at us.

_Yeah, as if we'd had a choice. _

"As you can see, you are to sit in those desks and hash out whatever is between you. I don't think two seventeen-year-olds need a babysitter, so I will trust you to behave if I leave you two alone. However, Mr. Yamashiro across the hall will be telling me if he hears any ruckus from you two or if you try to leave early. Your detention will last until 3:30, and not one minute earlier. Are we clear?"

The black-haired boy and I shared a glare before nodding and muttering an affirmation. Apparently satisfied that we wouldn't kill each other in his absence, Mr. Shimura walked over to his desk and grabbed his coat before leaving and closing the door behind him.

For several minutes, the Uchiha ass and I just glared at each other from across the room. Finally, with an almost imperceptible sigh, he swept up to the desk closest to him and sat down, tossing his bags to the floor. After a moment, I followed suit.

A tense, awkward silence settled over us as I tried to look anywhere but at the boy across from me. He was sitting back in his seat with his eyes closed, looking perfectly carefree with his arms crossed casually across his chest. I settled on glaring at the window behind him, crossing my own arms.

We sat like that for a good ten minutes, just listening to the clock slowly tick off the seconds. At last, I figured I was going to go crazy if we continued to sit three feet away from each other pretending the other didn't exist.

"So, what's your name?" I asked, attempting to sound civil. It came out a little gruffer than I'd intended, but the boy still showed no reaction.

He grunted and made no move to open his eyes or respond to my question.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. _

I narrowed my eyes in irritation, drumming my fingers against my arm. "Fine, don't answer. I was just trying to be civil, damn you. But if you're that much of an ass, I can see that it's pointless to even try."

I sat in silence for another minute, fuming internally. How dare this boy act like I was nothing but dirt beneath his shoes? I'd done absolutely nothing to him! Well, except for the accidental papercut, but hey, he'd been asking for it!

"Sasuke."

I looked up at the boy across from me, thinking that maybe I'd been hearing things. The single word had been muttered softly, and could have been my imagination. His eyes still weren't open, and he looked like he hadn't moved a muscle.

"My name is Sasuke." This time, I clearly heard him say it. He opened his eyes and fixed me with a dispassionate stare.

"He speaks!" I mocked, leaning forward on my desk as I smirked at him. Internally, though, I was wondering what had made him decide to suddenly tell me his name.

Snorting to himself, Sasuke closed his eyes again and went back to ignoring me.

"Hey!" I leaned across the desks and poked his arm sharply.

He cracked an eye and fixed me with that irritated look that warned not to mess with him. "What do you want?"

"Don't ignore me, asshole."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked irritably. He opened both eyes fully, but went back to his detached expression, shutting himself off as much as if he'd kept his eyes closed.

"Why did you try out for the volleyball team?" I asked instead, ignoring his question.

A slightly disdainful glare was the only response I received for several long moments. Then, Sasuke sighed and looked to the side. "What does it even matter?" he muttered.

"Fine. I suppose it's not that important, anyways. But at least tell me why you're being such a dick."

"Why _I'm _being such a dick?" he demanded, turning to me with an incredulous look. "_You're_ the one who yelled at me this morning, wrote a nasty note about me, and then chucked said note at my face."

I held my hands up in an indignant gesture. "Hey, Kiba was the one who wrote the note."

Sasuke looked at me disbelievingly, before shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling as if praying for patience. "Yeah, and your own friend called you 'dickface'. I, on the other hand, have done nothing to you."

"You _what_?!" I stood up, pushing the chair back from my desk with a screech. "You were the one who started it! You had to go and be a jerk in the office that day, and then you glared at me when you saw me in the gym the other day." I paused a moment while I thought about his other remark. Faint patches of pink appeared in my cheeks as I muttered, "And the nickname was an inside joke." Shaking my head to get back on track, I added, "Besides, your very attitude screams 'I hate you', so don't even _try _to pretend you're innocent here."

He stood and slammed his hands onto his desk, leaning forward and glaring at me. "Do you have a problem?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice. I stood and slammed my own fists down, holding his baleful gaze until someone clearing their throat in the doorway caused me to turn.

Aoba Yamashiro, the Health teacher from across the hall, stood in the doorway with a stern look on his face. "You boys need to settle down. I can hear you all the way in my classroom."

Forcing myself back into my seat, I bit out a "Yes, sir." Sasuke silently took his own seat, looking as calm as if we hadn't just been about to exchange blows.

Apparently satisfied that we weren't about to break out into a fistfight, Mr. Yamashiro retreated from the room and closed the door softly behind him. Sasuke and I sat in silence, staring at each other with tension crackling almost audibly between us. He still showed no outward signs of aggression, but I could feel his anger bubbling beneath the surface of his cool façade.

We didn't exchange anymore words throughout the course of our detention. However, we didn't break the stare, black boring into blue and vice versa. When my watch finally went off at 3:30, I jumped a little in my seat. Before I had even pressed the off button, Sasuke was on his feet heading toward the door with his bags.

I glared at his back while I scooped up my own bags, following him out the door. I really didn't want to walk with him, so I kept my steps slower and kept a good ten-foot distance between us. That left me plenty of time to glare holes in his back on the way to the gym locker rooms. Unfortunately, we had to first enter the gym before we could get to the locker room. That meant everyone would see us entering together.

_Well, there's nothing I can do about it,_ I groused to myself. _It's not like we'll be holding hands and skipping. _

Sasuke reached the door first, tugging it open as he stepped through. He didn't bother to hold it for me, so I had to jog to catch it before it closed again. Even more irritated, I stormed after him and made sure to pass him before I got to the locker room door. I could feel the gazes of my teammates on us as we walked by. They were probably dying to know how the detention had gone, but I was in no mood to discuss it.

Unfortunately, Sasuke was too close behind for it to matter that I went through the door first, much to my irritation. He followed me into the locker room, and I heard him stop and look around for an empty locker. I strode over to my own locker, easily keying in the combination and popping the locker open.

As I hung my backpack on one of the hooks inside the locker, the slam of a bag against the bench let me know that Sasuke had found a locker to claim. I ignored him and continued unloading my workout clothes. Once my stuff was all ready to go, I began stripping off my school clothes. My gray T-shirt went first, landing on the bench next to my shorts. Then went my jeans, which I semi-folded before sticking them in my practice bag. Without even thinking, I slipped off my red boxers and tossed them into my bag as well. I had just set my T-shirt in on top of them when I felt something slam into my back. I stumbled in surprise, whipping around to catch the towel that was falling. _What the fuck…?_

"What the fuck are you doing?"

I gaped at Sasuke in shock, not understanding why he was standing there seething over by his bench, clad only in his black boxers. "What the fuck are _you _doing? Why did you throw your towel at me?" I chucked it back at the black-haired boy, who snatched it from the air and flung it onto the bench.

"Because you're fucking _naked_!"

I could only stare at the other boy in dumbfounded silence for a moment before I let out a booming laugh. "_That's _why you're so angry?" I asked, wrapping my arm around my waist to stop the laughter cramps. "Oh, Sasuke. Tell me you're joking."

"Why the fuck would I be joking, Uzumaki?" His voice was cold as he addressed me, crossing his arms across his chest. Which, by the way, was surprisingly muscular, considering his slender build. His whole body was laced with taut, wiry muscles, as I could now see, courtesy of his almost-naked state. Honestly, the boy was barely dressed, himself. What was his problem with me being naked?

"Um, because it's normal for guys to strip in the locker room?" I gave him a strange look, and he seemed to shift uncomfortably for a moment before his cold mask was back.

"Hmph," he grunted. "So, all of you guys do this? Every day?"

"Sasuke…have you never played a high school sport before?" We stood staring at each other in silence for a moment, uncomfortable understanding settling between us. "Oh," I said, clearing my throat awkwardly. "Then I guess this would seem strange to you."

_Great. Now that I know the fucking Uchiha is uncomfortable around other naked guys, I'm going to feel uncomfortable. We really need to fix this before the others learn of this and start teasing him too much…. _

_Wait. Why the _fuck _do I even care about him? So what if they tease and embarrass him? He's a high school guy! He needs to get over it and solve his own problems. _And yet…. I sighed, grabbing up my black athletic shorts. I was probably going to regret this in another minute. Why did I have to be so damn _nice? _

"Sasuke." I paused after saying the other boy's name, raking a hand through my blond locks. "I don't know what else to tell you. If you're on the team, you're going to be seeing a lot of naked guys. The sooner you get over it, the smoother things will go for you."

"I know," he snapped. His eyes flitted down my exposed body, quickly passing over my manhood as his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. Finally turning back around, he stared at his shorts for a moment. Shaking his head, he grumbled to himself under his breath and quickly yanked his own boxers down.

Now that I knew how embarrassed he was, I had to resist the urge to snicker at his bare white ass. It was even paler than the rest of him, which was quite the feat.

Shaking my own head, I stepped into my shorts and tugged my mesh tank top on. By the time my head was through the hole, I saw that Sasuke was already fully dressed, fiddling with the waistband of his shorts. I rolled my eyes and slung my towel over my shoulder, strolling casually towards the other boy. He looked up as he heard me approaching, a suspicious look in his eye.

"What now?"

He froze as I came to a stop in front of him. With a devilish grin, I leaned forward and brought my lips right next to his ear. "One last piece of advice, Uchiha. Whatever you do, do not let the others know about your…discomfort. They'll show you a whole new meaning to the word discomfort, trust me."

I felt him shiver slightly, the motion making his arm brush against my chest. Taking a step back, I grinned broadly at the somewhat sick look on Sasuke's pale face. "What happened in the locker room in your freshman year?" he whispered, licking his lips nervously.

"That," I said, turning away so I could finish stowing my bags and head out, "is a story best left for another day."

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_Sasuke's POV _

_What the hell does _that _mean? _Naruto's cryptic message made me really wonder if I would come to regret joining the volleyball team before the end. Unfortunately, I had no time to ponder his words. Following the blond's lead, I grabbed my towel and my water bottle and closed up my new locker. It didn't have a lock on it, so I made a mental note to get one.

Not wanting to seem like a hussy for taking too long in the locker room, I hastily followed Naruto out the door and into the large gym. I'd never had occasion to enter this room, so I took a moment to look around at the courts. The guys' volleyball team was practicing drills on the court closest to us, and the next court over was occupied by what could only be the girls' volleyball team. Several of the girls were looking over at Naruto and me with giggly whispers, and I felt my face automatically creasing into a scowl.

We walked side-by-side over to the silver-haired coach, who was supervising the drills with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore navy blue shorts and a tight black turtle-neck tank top with the neck pulled up over his mouth and nose to form a mask. He'd worn a similar shirt when I'd had my tryout with him the week before.

"Switch!" he shouted, not looking over at Naruto and me as we approached.

"Oy, Kakashi!" Naruto called, coming to a stop a few feet away from the coach. The man finally acknowledged us, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face us. "Sorry we're late," the blond continued with an easy grin. "Our AP English teacher wanted to speak with both of us. Kiba should've told you already."

"He did."

I resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably under his intense stare. Without saying anything else, Coach Kakashi kept glancing between the two of us, a thoughtful look on his face. I wasn't sure I liked that look.

At last, he nodded his head, as if he'd just decided on something. "Alright. I've decided." Yup. Called it. "Since you two already seem to know each other, I'll have you be his training partner, Naruto."

"What?!" the blond exploded, causing several of the other guys to look over curiously.

As if he hadn't heard Naruto's outburst, Kakashi continued. "Make sure he gets the hang of things around here. If he needs something explained to him, make sure you do so, Naruto."

"Fine. But what about Kiba? He's my partner!"

Kakashi waved away Naruto's protests. "He can join Shikamaru and Shino. Problem solved."

"Problem created," I thought I heard Naruto mutter under his breath. The coach either didn't hear him or he pretended he hadn't. He told us what the others were doing and motioned for us to go join them, already diverting his attention away from us.

Naruto and I glanced at each other with similar looks of anger and horror. How was I supposed to work with this prick? He probably wasn't even good enough to thoroughly challenge me.

Turning away abruptly, Naruto strode towards his teammates, barking out a gruff "Follow me." I narrowed my eyes at his retreating figure but decided to just do as instructed for now.

The others were working on passing exercises. We quickly joined in, Naruto taking up the number 2 position in the front right corner. Immediately, I realized that all the other positions were filled.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, suddenly right beside me, "you will be our libero for the team. For now, we'll have you replace Lee in the number 6 spot. He's a middle hitter."

I nodded in understanding, taking the place of the boy in the back row with a black bowl-cut and super thick eyebrows. He regarded me curiously, but thankfully there was no resentment in his round eyes. As he moved past me, I caught the gaze of the person in the position to my left and recognized Kiba, the brunette from English who had passed Naruto that note. I narrowed my eyes at him in a silent challenge, but he just sent a toothy grin at me and passed the ball to me with lightning speed.

Catching it easily on my joined wrists, I swung my arms up and to the side so that I could pass the ball to the boy to my right. He wore tinted glasses and an emotionless expression, and caught the ball on his hand before sending it on its way to Naruto, who was standing in front of him. The blond caught the ball with a grin before passing it on.

We continued passing for twenty minutes, Kakashi having me periodically substitute in for other positions to get used to functioning as the libero. By the time we were done, my muscles were screaming at me from the years of disuse. I hadn't played volleyball in so long that I was frankly surprised I'd been able to pick it up again as quickly as I had. Still, I knew that I would need to train really hard to be able to make up for the lost time.

Perhaps the most irritating thing of all was how easily Naruto handled the ball. While we hadn't done any actual hitting of the ball over the net, I could already tell that the blond was comfortable on the court with a volleyball in hand.

"Good work, guys," Kakashi called in a vaguely bored tone. "We'll be starting weight training next week, so enjoy this warm-up week while you can." He waved at us before striding off towards the bleachers to pick up a book. Flipping it open, he began reading as he left the gym. The other man who had been helping out—the assistant coach, if I had to guess—lingered a little longer, joking around with the boys.

"See you tomorrow, Yamato!" Kiba called to the assistant coach as he headed towards the bleachers to grab his towel and his water before heading into the locker room.

Naruto turned to follow the brunette, meeting my gaze as he passed by. "Feeling sore yet, Sasuke?" he asked with a smirk.

I scowled as I fell into step beside the blond. "You wish, Uzumaki. This stuff is child's play."

Naruto shot me a knowing look as he grabbed his towel off the bench and wiped his dry face. "I'm sure." He reached down and grabbed my towel before I could, tossing it at my face. I snatched it before it could touch me, glaring at the other boy. He walked around me to push open the locker room door, brushing against my shoulder as he did so. "See ya tomorrow, Sasuke."

"Whatever," I muttered, scooping my bottle off the bench and pressing my towel to my forehead. It came away damp with sweat. Clenching the material in my hand, I glared at the locker room door. _Just you wait, Naruto. I'll catch you in a month. Then you'll regret acting so high and mighty. Just you wait. _

And with that, I stomped into the locker room after him.

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**A/N: **Hmmm, this time, it's Sasuke who has to catch up to Naruto. ;D But don't worry, not for long. XD I kind of like take-charge Naruto. ;) And I can't wait to reveal the locker room story from Naruto's freshman year...it's really good. ;D Haha don't forget to favorite, follow and review, guys! Thank you so much for reading! ^.^


	4. Chapter 4 - Shared Hatred, Shared Trunks

**A/N: **Woohoo! Another chapter! I've been so engrossed in all the awesome SasuNaru stories out there that I haven't had time to work on my own. ^.^' I hope you guys like this chapter...more tension, more gayness...the usual. ;)

Thank you so much to the three wonderful people who reviewed this time: **GingerificFabulousTime, Sawsan-san, **and **TheGrammarQueen**! XD It would...*sniffle sniffle*...mean a lot to me if more people reviewed on this chapter... :'( Yeah, I'm a shameless review junkie. :P Haha many additional thanks to the lovely people who favorited and/or followed: **Sayuri36ani, quiet-girl25, Nhaiya, Drea-kat, Zeus'sSins, jasono346, 16guldat, Myrto Crosszeria,** and **Viv310**!

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**Chapter Four – Shared Hatred, Shared Swimtrunks**

_Sasuke's POV _

No sooner had I set foot outside the locker room than I immediately regretted it and made to slip back inside. Unfortunately, my back collided with something hard. I whipped my head around to see what it was. A scowl tugged at my face as I saw an irate Naruto standing there.

"Make up your mind, asshole," he growled, rubbing his nose. He shoved past me and left the door to shut at my back before I could push through it.

"Sasuke!" the high-pitched screech went up as I faced the sight that had provoked my ill-fated attempt to retreat. A mob of girls was waiting outside the locker room, adoring looks on their flushed faces.

One of the girls stepped forward, twisting her long blonde hair around her fingers nervously. She was wearing a pair of microscopic black spandex shorts and a blue jersey—the girls' volleyball uniform. "You may remember me from this morning…I'm in your first period class, two seats to your right."

"No." My reply was short and curt as I gazed coolly over their heads for an escape route.

"Oh." Her tittering, blushing manner was immediately replaced by an uncomfortable, downcast air. Unable to convince myself to feel any remorse, I stepped to the side and hoisted my bag onto my other shoulder, to put a barrier between myself and the horde of girls.

"You're leaving already?"

I turned briefly to look at the girl who had spoken. She also appeared to be on the girls' volleyball team, but she had shoulder-length pink hair. She had such a forlorn look on her face that I had to resist the urge to push her and shout at all of them to leave me the fuck alone. As if any of these girls knew anything about me. I'd always been surrounded by hordes of admirers since the time I started school. Not that I could fathom why. I mean, sure, I was laboring under no delusions as to my attractiveness, but other than that…well, I'd never given them a reason to think I cared one way or another for them. Always cold, always detached. That's how I was in public. It had led many people to call me arrogant over the years, but I didn't care. Hell, maybe it was even true. But no matter what I did, there were always fangirls watching my every move. It didn't look like this year would be any different.

"Move," I ordered in response. Their crestfallen murmurs followed me as I brushed past them. A few more girls were peering into the gym from the windows in the gymnasium doors. Seeing me approach, they quickly ducked back from the windows. I scoffed and wondered with irritation why people were allowed into the gym if they weren't using it for sports or gym or any of the things a gymnasium was meant for.

"Looks like someone's a ladies' man," called a teasing voice. I didn't make any response as the boy from the team with the shaggy brown hair, Kiba, came up beside me and fell into step with me. "You know, you could try to smile once in a while." When I still remained silent, he continued. "I've heard about you, you know. Sasuke Uchiha, the infamous school heartthrob. Colder than a frozen corpse." I shot him an annoyed glance out of the corner of my eye as he shook his head. "I have no idea why you suddenly decided to join the volleyball team, but I would thank you to be a little more sociable, so as not to scare the ladies away from the rest of us, okay?"

"Fuck off," I muttered as I picked up my pace and pushed through the doors ahead of him. The sun was beaming brightly down, causing me to squint as I walked toward my car.

"Just looking out for you," Kiba called after me with a chuckle.

Was it too much to ask for everyone to just leave me alone? It was only the first day of school, and I was already about ready to strangle someone. I stepped out into the parking lot and reached into my bag to find my keys.

The harsh squealing of tires against asphalt had me snapping my head up in alarm. A rusty orange monstrosity was flying around one of the parking aisles, heading straight for me. With a few select curse words, I leapt forward and nearly fell on my face as I landed on the grassy median that proclaimed me to be in Lot A. As I straightened with a growl and looked back for the offending vehicle, I saw that it was already speeding away, a thick plume of exhaust fumes clouding the air behind it.

"If I _ever _find out who drives that shitmobile…" I muttered angrily as I clenched my keys in my fist. Mood worse than ever, I unlocked my Cadillac and slid behind the wheel with a sour expression.

That was when I saw it.

"Fucking…shit!" I growled, wrenching my door open again so hard that it almost tore from the hinges. "If this is fucking bird shit…." I didn't finish my sentence as I stepped in front of my door and leaned closer to inspect the brown mess smeared all across my windshield. It was all dried and crusty, letting me know that it had been there for a while. _That'll be a bitch to clean off…._ It didn't look like shit, since I doubted birds took the time to smear their excrement all over the place, so I reached out a finger and scratched a bit off. It felt powdery when I crumbled it into my palm, almost like….

A soft crackling sound made me look down as I took a step forward. My right foot had brushed against something on the ground by my tire, and as I narrowed my eyes and nudged it some more, I saw that it was a crumpled candy bar wrapper.

"Chocolate. There is fucking chocolate smeared on my windshield." My voice was blank and detached, matching my expression.

There was only one reason why there could possibly be chocolate smeared on my windshield. _When I find who did this…I'll be smearing their car with their blood. _

Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling into my garage hot, sweaty and pissed as all hell. I had spent ten minutes attempting to clean off my windshield enough so that I could see through it, spraying the windshield cleaner and even using my ice scraper to try to get the stuff off. The chocolate was now mostly gone, but there were some smears that had refused to disappear, no matter how hard I scrubbed. I was definitely going to take my car in for a cleaning this afternoon.

The worst part of all had been feeling the stares of the people walking past. Feeling their curiosity, their judgment. As if this had somehow been my fault.

"I'm home," I called as I closed the garage door behind me with more force than necessary. My adopted mother looked up from the pot of soup she was stirring.

"How'd it go, Sasuke?" she asked with concern.

I let out a bitter chortle and headed for the stairs.

"That bad, huh?" Her voice followed along behind me, and I paused on the steps to look back down at her.

"Some asshole on the team seems determined to ruin my life," I muttered.

"I'm sure it's not that bad, honey," she said drily.

I snorted and ran a hand through my spiky black hair. "He landed me in detention today, Ma. Oh, and I'm going to take my car over to the wash this evening."

"What happened?"

This time, I ignored her concerned voice as I turned and ran up the stairs and locked myself in my room. _Yeah, I'm definitely regretting joining the team already. _

It pained me to admit that I stayed up later than I'd intended that night, silently fuming over the events of the day. Just thinking about the chocolaty mess all over my shiny new car was bad enough, but the annoying smirk of a certain blond kept plaguing my thoughts, too. To distract myself, I made a checklist of all the things I'd accomplished that day.

_First day of school over with. First detention over with. First day of practice over with. Bought a lock for my locker. Got my car cleaned. Finished what measly homework I had. _

Unsurprisingly, I didn't feel any better.

To make matters worse, I woke up late the next morning. My mom had to go in to work early, so she wasn't around to get me up, and I'd been so exhausted from my late-night musings that I'd slept through my alarm. Thankfully, I was only running twenty minutes later than usual. Still, I threw on the first clothes I found—a dark gray V-neck and a pair of fitted dark blue jeans. I squirted some gel onto my hands and rubbed them together before running my fingers through my hair to quickly style it. It was a little messier than usual, but it would do.

Quickly fixing myself a breakfast drink in the kitchen, I gulped it down and grabbed my bags before stuffing my feet into my worn black combat boots and stepping out into the garage. The whole drive to school, I gazed smugly through my newly-cleaned windshield. Not a speck of chocolate remained on the glassy surface.

In a surprisingly good mood, I entered the parking lot and looked around for a place to park. Since I was running a little late for my liking, I had to park towards the back. Stubbornly clinging to my good mood, I grabbed my bags and started toward the school. Several other students were filtering in from the lot, so I knew I had time before the bell rang.

_Perhaps today won't be so bad._

As if the universe was punishing me for suddenly trying to be so optimistic for the first time in my life, I looked up and saw something that caused my steps to falter. A dark scowl overtook my features as I saw the orange monstrosity from yesterday sitting in the spot I'd parked in the day before. The same vehicle—if it could even be called a vehicle—that had almost run me over. My fists clenched at my sides.

_I take it back. Today will be exactly as fucking bad as I knew it would be._

* * *

_Naruto's POV _

I'd _almost _managed to forget about that prickly asshole and how much he pissed me off. But then he came storming into first period with his own personal raincloud over his head, and my mood instantly darkened. _Maybe I should've stepped on the gas a little harder yesterday and hit him after all._

Since we still had a minute until the bell rang, I turned to Kiba and Ino—the blonde from the volleyball team who sat on my other side—and started talking about the season. I'd arrived at school this morning at the same time as Ino and her pink-haired friend, Sakura, so we had walked into school together and gotten to know each other a little. They were pretty cool, but they both seemed to be infatuated with Mr. Pissy over there.

"…what do you think?"

"Huh?" I looked at Kiba questioningly, not having heard a word he'd said.

My friend sighed and rolled his eyes, poking me affectionately on the forehead. "I just said that it's supposed to be a hot one today. We should go to the pool with the team after practice. What do you say?"

"Yeah, sounds great!" I grinned, already excited to hang out with the guys again.

"Can the girls' team tag along?" Ino asked excitedly.

"Sure!"

The bell rang before we could say anything else, so we all faced the front of the classroom and listened to Mr. Shimura spew hot air. At least Sasuke and I were able to ignore each other, so we didn't get assigned another detention.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, but at least nothing bad happened. Kiba and I walked together to the locker rooms after school, excited to tell the rest of the guys about our plan to go to the pool after practice. When we walked into the locker room, I was delighted to see that Sasuke wasn't there yet.

"Yo," I greeted the guys as I flung my bag onto the bench and began stripping. "Kiba and I were thinking about going to the pool after practice with the girls. Whatcha guys think?"

"Sounds good to me," Shikamaru said with a shrug. Neji and Shino silently nodded their agreement, and Lee pumped his fist in the air excitedly.

"Yes! Let us go! We have to make the most of our high school days, after all."

"Great! Now that everyone's going—"

"Aren't you forgetting someone?"

I turned to face Shikamaru with a questioning look. "What?"

"Sasuke."

Instantly, my face darkened at the mention of the Uchiha. "Huh. He can come if he wants. But I highly doubt he will, so we don't have to worry—"

"Sounds interesting. I'll go."

I spun around to face the boy who stood in the entrance to the locker room. He bore an infuriating smirk that made me want to punch his face. My eyes narrowed as I wondered how long he had been standing there. Shikamaru snorted as he continued to get ready behind me, making me suspect that he'd only brought up Sasuke because he'd seen the other boy standing there behind me.

"Whatever," I muttered, yanking my boxers down in annoyance and tossing them into my bag. Sasuke's eyes immediately flicked to the side, looking anywhere but at me. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't the only naked guy in the room. Kiba was spinning his boxers around on his finger as he strutted around the room stark naked, telling the other guys all about how he was going to have all the volleyball girls drooling over him by the end of the season. Neji rolled his eyes as he just listened to Kiba, stepping into his shorts to cover his own junk once more.

Sasuke wordlessly made his way over to his locker, sliding a shiny new lock into place before he began to get ready. I idly wondered if any of the other guys had noticed his discomfort, and saw Shikamaru giving the other raven a strange look.

_I wonder if Shikamaru knows something about what's going on…something I'm missing. _Shrugging it off, I put my practice clothes on and chucked my towel at Kiba. "Oye, get dressed, you exhibitionist."

"Whatever you say, dickface." And with an insufferably smug look, he proceeded to rub his crotch all over my nice clean towel.

"Ugh! Ew, what was that for, shithead?!" I scrunched my nose and glared at Kiba, but was sadly not too surprised. After all, the stupid jerk did stuff like that all the time.

Kiba laughed and flung my towel back at me, aiming for my face. I shrieked and batted it to the ground, using my foot to scoop it up and kick it back at him. While he was distracted by my towel flying at him, I dove for his bag and grabbed his towel triumphantly.

"Um, I wouldn't use that if I were you…" he said as he bit back his laughter. "I jerked off in that this morning."

I screamed and dropped the towel as if I'd been burned. The other boy roared with laughter, and even Lee and Shikamaru joined in his amusement. Even Shino quirked a smile, which was basically the same thing.

"I'm just teasing, you dipshit. As if I would do that in the towel I use for practice." He rolled his eyes and snorted once he'd gotten enough control over himself to form complete sentences.

Still not trusting him, I stomped back over to my locker and prepared to leave. Without a towel.

"Hey, Sasuke, you probably didn't bring a pair of swimtrunks, did you?"

I paused and turned to face the guys again, wondering what Shikamaru was doing.

"Of course not. I didn't exactly plan on going swimming today." Sasuke's snippy tone reminded me—regretfully—that the boy was still there. He'd been watching the whole spectacle between Kiba and me with a look of mildly horrified fascination. As if he'd been watching a train hurtling down a track towards a parked car. Now, of course, his usual cold mask was in place.

"It's pretty common for us to go to the pool after practice this time of year, so we all carry a pair with us in our practice bags. I happen to have an extra pair with me, so you don't have to go to your house."

I regarded Shikamaru with suspicion. Why was he being so amiable with Sasuke? And since when did he carry a spare pair of trunks around?

_Oh. _I got my answer as I saw him pull a pair of neatly folded trunks from his bag and toss it to Sasuke, who caught it with a wary glance. _That's the pair I loaned to Shikamaru the other day because Chouji spilled soda on his. I guess he was going to give them back to me today. _And then it hit me.

_Those are my fucking trunks that Sasuke's gonna wear! _

"Thanks," Sasuke murmured in a surprisingly non-asshole-ish voice.

"No problem," Shikamaru smirked. He tossed me a sly glance, and I wondered what the fuck he was up to. He was supposedly a super genius, but I could not for the life of me think of how giving Sasuke my trunks was a smart idea.

Not wanting to make a scene right before practice, I glared at Shikamaru and let him know with my eyes that I would be discussing this with him later.

Practice went surprisingly well. By which I mean Sasuke and I managed not to tear each other's throats out. We may have passed the ball back and forth to each other with a little more force than was necessary, but at least there were no injuries, so it was all good in my book. Kakashi and Yamato seemed to suspect something was up, because they kept whispering to each other and shooting Sasuke and me glances. Apparently they decided we were too close to starting a fight, because Kakashi called for Sasuke to substitute in for a different position, so that he wouldn't have to pass to me.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, practice ended and we were free to go. I ran into the locker room and stripped quickly so I could hop into the showers. The locker room showers were disgusting, but as long as I avoided cutting myself while I was in there, I didn't have to worry too much about infection. The other guys joined me in the shower, laughing and joking as we rinsed off. Sasuke trudged in last, a deep scowl on his face as he ducked under one of the showerheads.

"Damn. Not bad, Uchiha," Kiba said with an impressed whistle.

I raised an eyebrow and glanced over to see what Kiba was talking about. Of course, as I followed Kiba's gaze, I found myself staring straight at Sasuke's junk. I stared a little longer than was probably necessary, but I had to admit that Kiba was right. Sasuke was pretty well-endowed.

_Well, at least he's not one of those people with a nice body and a tiny-ass dick. But seriously, Kiba doesn't have to make such a big deal about it. It doesn't look any bigger than mine…._

"You're a shaver, I see," Kiba further remarked with a smirk evident in his voice.

The rest of us all shared a tense glance as we waited for Sasuke to react to that.

"You got a problem with it?" Sasuke asked coolly. Damn, even butt naked and soaking wet with his hair plastered all over his forehead, he still looked imposing.

"Naw," Kiba grinned with a casual shrug. "Just observing." It suddenly occurred to me that the rest of us were all trimmers. Well, with the exception of Lee, but he was pretty strange to begin with. Sasuke was the only one in the room with clean-shaven balls, and now that Kiba had pointed it out, I couldn't help but notice.

_Maybe he's a fruit,_ I thought offhandedly. We all finished up quickly and headed back out to change into our trunks. Mine were orange with black stripes down the sides, since orange was my favorite color. I couldn't resist glancing over at Sasuke, who was stepping into my other pair of trunks, unbeknownst to him. They were the reverse of mine—black with orange stripes. I so badly wanted to say something, as much to preserve the integrity of my trunks as to get a rise out of Sasuke. Now that I had seen Sasuke's manhood, I couldn't shake the image of his hairless balls being pressed up against _my _swimtrunks.

_Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick. _My stomach certainly felt squirmy enough. Pushing the mental image to the back of my mind, I snapped the waistband of my trunks against my hips with a grin. "Alright, let's move on out!"

We grabbed our bags and headed for the door. Somehow, Sasuke and I ended up walking side by side. I turned to him with a scowl just as Kiba barked out a laugh from behind us. "Dude, you guys are matching!"

Sasuke's eyes flicked down to see that we were, in fact, matching, before he met my gaze with a fierce glare. I grinned helplessly at him. After all, what was I supposed to do about the fact that he was wearing my trunks? And then the situation became infinitely worse.

"Aren't those…your trunks, Naruto?" Lee asked innocently.

Sasuke and I froze, staring at each other in horror, though for different reasons. Then we both turned to look at Lee. Sasuke looked positively sick, and I just felt a mixture of anger and vicious glee. Anger at Lee for blowing it like that before we'd even left the locker room, and glee at the look on Sasuke's pale face.

"These are…your…trunks?" Sasuke choked out as he looked at me again. Kiba was hovering a few feet away, clutching his hands to his mouth to stifle his laughter. Shikamaru was smirking to himself with his arms crossed over his chest. Neji and Shino were both looking on with mildly entertained expressions, and Lee still looked clueless to the whole situation.

"Um…yeah." I wasn't quite sure how to react. Sasuke would either jump on me and beat me to a pulp, or he would rip the trunks from himself and throw them in my face. Maybe both. Now I just had to anticipate which one to defend myself against.

To my utter shock, he did neither of those. After a long, tense silence, Sasuke just shook his head with an irritated look. He made a clicking sound deep in his throat and turned away from me, disappearing out the locker room doors.

I stared after him in disbelief, not moving until the door thudded into place behind him. "Did he just…go with it?" I asked incredulously. None of us quite knew how to react. That had definitely been unexpected. I wasn't even sure how I felt. It was a mixture of disappointment and…relief? Shaking myself from my stunned stupor, I followed him from the locker room with the others at my back.

Sasuke was wading through the girls' team, trying to make it to the doors in one piece. They were fawning over his muscles and flawless skin, which were made visible by his lack of a shirt. Somehow feeling disgusted with him, I rolled my eyes and strode after them. The whole way out to the lot, I had to watch them hanging on him up ahead of me. I was so happy when I made it to my beloved orange Civic that it took a moment for me to notice. When I did, I couldn't hold back a shout of anger.

Scrawled across my windshield in Sharpie were the words "Watch where you're going in your hunk of shitty scrap metal!"

There was only one person who could have written it. And he was now staring at me with wide eyes as he drove by in his shiny black Cadillac.

* * *

**A/N: **Oooh, developments, perhaps? ;D Heh heh, what do you guys think of this chapter? Please let me know in a review! :) I'm curious to see what you guys think will happen in the next chapter. Crazy stuff can happen at the pool. ;) Now, don't forget to favorite and follow! ^.^ Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5 - Pool Fight

**A/N: **Yikes! I definitely meant to get this chapter out a lot sooner. O.o As it is, I've been so busy these past few weeks that I've hardly had any time to write. T.T It's only thanks to the insistence of **nerdybirdychikk **that I got this chapter out today and not sometime next week. O_O So...to all the Americans out there, I hope you had a happy Independence Day, and here's a new chapter to celebrate. XD

Thanks to **Sawsan-san, naname396, Naruto7771, Guest, hellothreeheads, Cray Cray Guest, GingerificFabulousTime, nerdybirdychikk, **and **ForgetfulMangoes **for reviewing! :D Your positive responses made me so excited to continue this story! Thanks to **Densetsu-Chan, JChan2845, Narutopokefan,** **tuxedokame** and** keiiah **for favoriting and/or following! :D I really appreciate the support from everyone. :)

Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please let me know what you think in a review! :D

* * *

**Chapter Five – Pool Fight **

_Naruto's POV _

As soon as I pulled up in front of the pool, I cut the engine and stepped out of my car. Sasuke was just pulling up across from my "hunk of shitty scrap metal", and as I approached, he got out of his own car. We came face-to-face in the middle of the grassy divider that separated our cars. Just seeing that callous smirk on his face made me want to punch him.

"You have a problem with my car, Sasuke?" I growled, looking slightly up to peer into his black eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I do. It's ugly and peeling and reeks of gasoline."

"I dare you to say that again!" I roared, grabbing him by the collar. He scowled and grabbed my collar right back, bringing his face down so that our noses were almost touching.

"I know it was you, Naruto! You smeared that chocolate on my windshield, didn't you? So you started it, you bastard!"

"You stole my parking space, asshole!"

"And you almost ran me over!"

I growled and pulled my other hand back, clenching my fingers in a fist. Sasuke did the same, and we both let our fists fly at the same time.

"Cut it the fuck out!"

Both Sasuke's and my fists were stopped an inch from each other's faces by two hands. I blinked in surprise and looked over to see Neji giving us the dirtiest look I'd ever seen on him.

"Will you two please try to be mature?" he demanded furiously. "We are in a public facility, and I expect you to behave yourselves! You are almost adults, for god's sake! If you have a problem with each other, talk it out! Don't just resort to violence!"

I just stood there in dumbfounded silence. Did Neji just…chastise us?

Evidently satisfied that we weren't going to punch each other, Neji dropped his hands. Sasuke's and my fists fell limply to our sides, and we just stood there staring at each other. Sasuke quickly adopted a bored look and released my tank top. With a glower, I let go of his, too. We stepped away from each other and turned our backs so that we wouldn't have to look at each other. It was then that I noticed that all of our friends were surrounding us, looking on with varying expressions. I saw surprise, confusion, irritation, disgust and disappointment. I couldn't tell which of us these emotions were directed toward, and I didn't care enough to find out. Huffing angrily, I grabbed my bag from the back of my car and stalked off toward the gates.

The others followed me across the parking lot, and we flashed our cards as we entered. Well, all but Sasuke. As we stepped through the gates to the inside of the pool compound, I looked back and saw that the pale boy was standing in front of the window with a perturbed look on his face. Irritated with him for holding us up, I doubled back and stopped in front of him.

"What are you doing? Either show them your membership card or fork up some cash. Come on, we're all waiting."

He leveled a disdainful glare at me. "Does it look like I come to the pool often enough to have a membership?" He gestured to his pale skin. "And I wasn't exactly planning on coming to the pool today, so I don't have enough cash on me."

I stared at him for a moment, my brow furrowed in annoyance. At last, when the lady in the window started shifting uncomfortably at the tension between us, I heaved an irritated sigh. "Whatever. I'll let you in as my guest today, Uchiha. But you owe me!"

"Tch."

Handing the lady my card again, she scanned it and waved Sasuke through. I grabbed my card and glared at it in disgust. I couldn't believe that it had just been used as a tool for evil. _I should've just made him turn around and go home. But he has my swimtrunks…so I can't let him out of my sight just yet. _Grumbling to myself, I followed Sasuke to where the rest of our team was staking out a table in the shade.

Sasuke stood off to the side awkwardly, a scowl on his face. Ignoring him, I set my bag down and whipped off my shirt. Stuffing it into my bag, I grinned at all my friends. "So long, suckers!" And with that, I took off towards the water's edge. One of the lifeguards blew her whistle and yelled for me to walk, but I ignored her until I was airborne over the clear blue water. Breaking the surface with a massive splash, I waited underwater for just a second before pushing my way back up to the surface.

"My apologies," I said with an impish grin. I waded over to the wall just in front of her chair and looked up at her with a flirty smile. "It's just that…it's been so long since I've been to the pool, and I couldn't contain my excitement."

She blushed slightly and smiled back. "Well, I understand. But don't do it again."

"Of course not. I would never deliberately do something that would inconvenience you." I winked up at her and rested my elbows on the edge, making sure to flex my muscles.

The girl giggled and ducked her head shyly. "Aren't you sweet. It wouldn't be…inconvenient…if you met me at the gates when I get off work at nine."

I grinned apologetically and held my hands up helplessly. "I would love nothing more than to wait for you at the gates, but I have a volleyball game this evening."

Her face fell slightly, but then her eyes brightened. "Aw, okay! I love volleyball. Maybe you're competing against my school. I think our guys have a game tonight, too. Maybe I'll see you around then."

I gave her an award-winning smile as I pushed away from the wall. "That would be great. I'll see you later!"

As I turned my back on the starry-eyed girl, I rolled my eyes and smirked to myself. _Dumb bitch, didn't even know that men's volleyball is a spring sport. Oh well. Girls like her make my life easy. _

"Well, look at you. Schmoozing like a pro. I'm proud of you, Naruto."

I looked over at Kiba and grinned as I waggled my eyebrows suggestively. "What can I say? I'm good with the ladies."

He laughed and slung an arm around my shoulders. Guiding me over to the rest of the guys, he continued teasing me about it. When we came up and joined the circle, I noticed that Sasuke was missing. Looking around with a mixture of relief and irritation, I saw him sitting at the table with our stuff, under the canopy. Feeling my gaze on him, he looked over at me and glowered. I returned his glare before turning back to my friends. If he wanted to sulk and be a loser, he was more than welcome to.

Unfortunately, it seemed that some of my friends had other ideas. Shikamaru and Lee had seen me looking over at Sasuke, and Lee was now waving enthusiastically at the moody boy.

"Someone should go invite Sasuke to come join us!" he exclaimed cheerily.

Shikamaru glanced around at everyone before focusing on me with a slight smirk. "What a good idea, Lee. Naruto, why don't you go tell him to come over? He's your guest, after all."

I turned a scathing look on Shikamaru. I had no idea what was going on with him lately, but he seemed determined to ruin my life with Sasuke's presence. _Maybe I'll ask him what's going through that genius brain of his later. I guess his genius is a dud, after all. _"Very funny, Shikamaru. Since you seem so interested in him, why don't you go ask him?"

The other boy shrugged lazily and began to wade through the water over to the side of the pool. "Whatever. It's a pain, but someone's got to be mature."

Ignoring my glare, he continued walking until he could lean against the wall. "Oy, Sasuke. Why don't you come join us? The pool is a lot more fun when you're actually in it."

The boy on the bench fixed a wary look on Shikamaru, but made no move to get up. His gaze flicked to me, and I saw his eyes narrow. Apparently, Shikamaru caught the look, too.

"I promise Naruto will behave himself. Just come hang with the rest of us."

Finally, after a moment, Sasuke got to his feet. He removed his tank top and began walking slowly to the edge of the pool, looking rather like a condemned prisoner walking towards the noose. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. When Sasuke reached the edge, he stared down into the water for a few seconds in thought. Apparently, Kiba had gotten tired of waiting for him to get in, because he swam up and splashed Sasuke all the way up to his face.

Cackling madly, Kiba fell back and retreated to my side. Sasuke fixed a dark, menacing look on the laughing boy. His black hair was dripping in his face, and the glistening water droplets slid slowly down his ivory torso. I traced their path with my eyes, watching the way they followed every dip and curve of his muscles.

_Splash! _

Shaking my head in confusion, I was shaken from my trance when Sasuke finally jumped into the pool. _What was that?! Why the hell was I staring at his chest and stomach for so long? _Slapping my cheeks to get myself focused, I tried to reassure myself. _It must be because he's so freaking pale. It's unnatural. Does he ever leave his house? _

When Sasuke resurfaced, shaking his head to whip his hair out of his eyes, I turned away. I could still feel the ripples hitting against my body as he moved closer, though. The others welcomed Sasuke into our circle willingly enough, though I could tell that it was only half-hearted. All except for Lee, anyways. He was equally enthusiastic towards everyone he met.

Shikamaru produced his inflatable beach ball and started hitting it into the air. We all immediately moved to form a circle, ready to hit it around the ring and not let it touch the water. Sasuke moved hesitantly into place across the circle from me, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. I fixed my gaze on the ball and focused on it to avoid looking at the boy across from me. After a few minutes, I managed to forget about him for the most part. I was too busy laughing and smacking the ball up into the air in the center of the circle, letting one of the others run in to hit it up.

The ball came to my side of the circle, so I darted out and hit it up into the air. Neji moved to hit it back, sending it back into the center of the circle.

"I got it!" I yelled as I moved. Only, my voice seemed to have a strange echo, as if someone else was saying the same thing at the same time….

As I was looking up at the ball, I couldn't see in front of me. I only suddenly smacked into a hard body, making me stagger back to keep my balance. The ball fell uselessly to the water off to the side, landing with a dull thwack. Shaking my head in a daze, I looked up and saw Sasuke regaining his own balance a few feet in front of me. There was a pink mark on his chest and abdomen where we'd run into each other. Damn, that had _hurt._

Growling, I took a step toward him, a threatening look in my eyes. "What the hell were you doing, Uchiha?"

He narrowed his own eyes at me and stood his ground. "Going for the ball, jackass. I called it, in case you didn't hear."

"Huh, that's funny. I guess I was too busy calling the ball first to hear you."

"Stupid asshole! You just had the ball! Why the fuck would you go for it again?"

"Shut up, you bastard! I was the closest one to it, so it made the most sense for me to go for it!" We were right in each other's faces now, glaring daggers and clenching fists.

"Come on, guys. Let it go."

I ignored Kiba and shoved Sasuke's chest. He stumbled back a step and I pressed the advantage. "You've done nothing but try to ruin my life since you joined the team. Do you even care about anyone else, or is your head too far up your ass for you to realize that there are other people out here?"

"You're one to talk!" Sasuke shouted, shoving me back. I staggered backwards, trying to keep my balance. "I did nothing to you, and you defaced my car, landed us both in detention, and tried to run me over. Just get over yourself!"

"That's it!" I hollered. I threw myself at him and wrapped my hands around his neck, sending us both crashing into the water. The shouts of my friends for us to stop fighting were lost as we submerged, Sasuke's hands coming up to grab my throat, as well. We slowly fell through the water, faces almost touching as we glared at each other with bared teeth. Small bubbles slipped through his teeth and brushed against my face. He got a leg up between us then, and kneed me in the gut with as much strength as he could muster. I coughed and released his neck so that I could wrap my arms around my stomach. An explosion of bubbles flew from my mouth, fanning against Sasuke's face as I suddenly struggled to keep from sucking water into my lungs.

Just then, a pair of arms yanked me backwards. I broke the water with a gasp, whipping hair from my eyes. Sasuke was being dragged from beneath the water, as well. I snarled and tried to lunge for him, determined to pay him back for that blow to the gut.

"Naruto!" someone shouted as the arms tightened around me. "Get control of yourself, man!"

I elbowed whoever was holding me, and fell forward as I was released. I spun to see Kiba clutching his gut and coughing, and immediately felt a twinge of regret.

"Someone grab him before he hurts anyone else!" a new voice yelled amidst the shrill blowing of whistles. Shino and Neji quickly stepped up and each took one of my arms in a firm grasp.

As I looked around at all of my friends, my anger slowly died out. Neji and Shino wore grim expressions, as if they were resigned to whatever fate I had landed us. Kiba was thoroughly irritated and looked like he wanted to punch someone, Shikamaru was pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep his veins from popping in his forehead, and Lee was looking on in concern. Shikamaru was holding Sasuke's arm, though Sasuke didn't look like he really needed anyone to hold him back. He was looking off to the side with a look of annoyance. That was the only emotion on his face, and it bothered me more than I could explain.

I clenched my fists and jaw, glaring daggers at the other boy. How dare he be fighting me one minute and then not even pay any attention to me the next? _That arrogant bastard! He thinks he's so much better than me, doesn't he? Acting like I don't even matter, like I'm not worth his time. I'll show him. I'll—_

"Leave this pool at once!" A large, surly lifeguard waded over to us through the water, a dangerous look on his face. "You've caused enough of a disturbance for the day, so you need to leave. All of you."

Kiba gasped indignantly, and I could tell that he was about to protest. Whether it was because we were being kicked out, or because he hadn't even been fighting and he was being kicked out, I couldn't tell. But before he could say anything, I spoke first.

"Fine. We'll be on our way." I wasn't angry with the lifeguard; after all, he was only doing his job. Even so, my tone was cold and clipped, and he looked like he wanted to do more than kick me out of the pool. Before he had a chance to take things further, I turned and marched to the edge of the pool, my friends following behind. Smoothly pulling myself from the water, I strode over to our table and tossed my towel over my shoulder and grabbed up my bag. The others followed suit, and we silently made our way towards the main entrance. I felt the eyes following us as we left, knowing that everyone would be talking about the stupid teenagers who had tried to start a fight in the pool.

_Let them talk. _

No one said a word until we stood in front of our cars. I stared at the ground with a stony expression, and Sasuke was looking off into the distance with that same perturbed look on his face. Everyone else looked between the two of us, unsure of what to say. This was the second time in an hour that they'd had to break up a fight between us, and I'm sure it wouldn't be the last.

Judging by the significant glances they kept exchanging with each other, they were trying to decide who should speak. Shikamaru shook his head and held his hands up in defense. Shino made no move to speak, either. Kiba shuffled awkwardly and seemed to suddenly take great interest in the clouds overhead. Lee was staring at the ground with furrowed brows, trying to make sense of the situation. With an irritated sigh, Neji ran a hand through his wet hair.

"Alright, someone needs to be the one to say something, and I guess it has to be me." He paused and took in my irritation and Sasuke's stubborn defiance. "You two had better listen well, or I will talk to Kakashi and get you both kicked off the team."

That certainly got our attention.

"That's better. Now, I have no idea what's going on between you two, but it needs to stop. You're ruining the coherence of our team, and it's detrimental to everyone involved. So, either learn to work together or leave the team."

We were both silent for a few minutes. I didn't want to be the first one to apologize or accept Neji's conditions, but I was afraid of what he would do to me if I didn't respond soon. Sasuke and I both looked up at each other at the same time. Grudgingly, I held my hand out to him, refusing to meet his eyes.

With a huff, Sasuke lifted his arm and wrapped his fingers around mine. His grip was firm as we shook on it, and I flicked my eyes to his again. "Fine. Someone has to be mature first. I'm sorry, Sasuke. I will try to work with you from now on." My tone was anything but repentant.

He snorted and pulled his hand from mine without looking at me. That was his only response as he turned and opened his car door. I gaped at him in disbelief as he closed the door behind him and started the car, pulling out of the parking space and driving off out of the lot.

Neji sighed and rubbed his temples, letting his eyes slip shut as he prayed for patience. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his swimtrunks, strolling towards his own car. The others one by one made their way to their respective cars, casting concerned looks at me before driving away. Kiba clasped my shoulder reassuringly before he, too, left, leaving me alone in the parking lot.

My fists clenched and unclenched, but I could only stand there, staring at the spot in which Sasuke's car had disappeared several minutes ago. _That bastard. Fine. If he doesn't want to work with me, I'll just have to do my best to ignore him and work around him. _Neji's threat flashed through my mind again, and I winced. I really could not afford to get kicked off the team; I needed a scholarship to help pay for college next year. With a weary sigh, I opened my car door and sank into the worn driver's seat. _I guess I have no choice but to work with him, if I don't want to get kicked off the team. Hopefully, he'll continue being an asshole, and Kakashi will see that he refuses to work with me, so he'll kick Sasuke off the team instead. _

Smirking to myself as I brought my car to life with a few coughs, I pulled out of the lot and made a mental note. _I just have to remember to keep my irritation in check when I'm around him and treat him like a teammate, and I'll be set. _My mood sank again when my gaze flicked to the writing scrawled on my windshield. It was backwards to me right now, but I knew what it said by heart. My hands tightened around the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.

_But first, I have to find a way to get Sharpie off of glass._

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**A/N: **I apologize to those of you who were hoping for something juicy in this chapter... XD Haha I'm afraid that won't be coming up for quite a few chapters yet. :( But never fear; this scene was setting up for a very important scene to come. ;) Anyone else doubt Naruto's ability to play nicely with Sasuke? ;D Sasuke seems to have a gift for getting Naruto all riled up. ;3

Haha don't forget to review, favorite and follow! :D Thanks for reading!


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